


Style

by orphan_account



Category: IT (1990), IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Richie Tozier Has ADHD, bill and Eddie are kind of dicks in the beginning, stan is a quiet ball of rage
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-12
Updated: 2018-02-18
Packaged: 2019-03-17 15:47:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13662165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Stan and Richie aren’t from a nice part of town, Eddie and Bill grew up in two story houses, Mike was away on the farm, everyone seems to have forgotten about Ben and Beverley Marsh is a mystery. They all met their freshman year of high school.





	1. chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> “your touch my comfort and my lullaby, holding on tight and sleeping at night”

Derry, Maine isn’t a very big town, but it is sizable enough for there to be a suburban division and it’s counterpart. This opposing side, rundown and forever rainy is home to about 1/3 of Derry’s population, dubbed “Drudging” in the towns early history. The remaining portion lives in the “nicer” part of town either in “The Hills”, aka rich kid city, or in “town center” as the natives refer to it.

Richie Tozier and Stanley Uris grew up painfully aware of where they were from. They so fondly named their home ‘dreading’ when they were around 12. They live directly across the street from each other, and down in their part of town, everyone knows enough about one another to allow the neighborhood children to come and go through their houses as needed. 

The two boys have known each other their whole lives, but they have conflicting first memories of the other. Richie swears on his life that he saw Stan laying in his front yard when they were 3 or 4, looking up at the sky so Richie crossed the street by himself and laid down next to the boy and their bond magically formed.

Stan knows for a fact that this is a way over simplified version of the events that occurred. The boy has an impeccable memory, and the recollection of his earliest memory of Richard is no exception. Stan was indeed laying down looking up at the sky (for birds of course) but that’s when he heard the blaring of a truck horn. 

His head snapped up and he saw his little neighbor, “Ralphie, Randy?” toddling along paying no attention to the oncoming traffic. Stan bolted up sprinted into the middle of the road and drug the smaller boy into his front yard. Stan resumed his earlier position and the boy “Richie,” introduced himself as if nothing had happened. The raven haired boy continued on to talk about nothing in general and hasn’t stopped for 12 years. Later that night Stan held his hand as they crossed the street back to Richie’s house.

And sure, maybe they grew up cold with tattered second hand jackets. They sure grew up hungry, Richie more so than Stan because of his parents negligence, and they definitely grew up being pushed around by anyone half an inch taller than them, walking around with torn jeans, scraped knees, and matching bruises. Despite all of this they had each other, which was sure as hell a lot more than most kids from their neighborhood could say.

Stan devoted a lot of his time defending Richie when the trashmouth ran his words together insulting boys four years older than him. Richie spent his days translating Stan’s strange body motions and grunts into comprehensible language. Both pastimes each boy frequently dabbles in still today, Richie less so than Stan seeing as Stan is now more inclined to use real words, whereas Richie still can’t seem to shut up.

In middle school they found cigarettes and pocket knives, opting to hang out in the quarry on the outside of town rather than attend school. They stuck together through their tween years, when Stan’s dad lost his mind and Richie would leave home with more bruises than he had when he arrived. They spent a lot of time in the quarry during those years. 

They also turned to sports that year. They picked up just about everything. Richie had a knack for boxing and Stan could sprint faster than just about anyone within their district, especially the uptown kids, which made him feel a strange sense of pride in his gut. They decided in the 8th grade that if they were going to devote their extra time to something, they’d do it together, thus their dynamic duo in baseball was born. They were both fast and agile and could hit the crap out of the ball. They were Stan and Richie, pitcher and shortstop respectively. (A nickname Stan coined for his best friend due to his very slight height advantage over him)

When they finally made it to high school they couldn’t be bothered with their uptown classmates. They realized fairly quickly that the teachers were less than tolerating of the Drudging kids so they tend to keep to themselves. They still managed to stick out like a sore thumb. They showed up to School in jean jackets and leather jeacjets and brown boots or black ankle high converse, torn almost to bits. This was a sharp contrast to the pretentious polo wearing Hills kids or the Sperry wearing kids from town center. 

They were even outcasted from the maybe 10 other kids from their part of town. Mainly because the pair refused to deal drugs, even though they’d been asked to help out countless times. In the end they enjoyed their isolation more than others would think. Stan and Richie against the world, and that’s how they liked it. 

They had a fairly quiet beginning of freshman year. They kept good grades, were the best players on their jv baseball team, and for the most part had very few altercations with any other students. And then a short brown haired boy was transferred into Richie’s second period math class, and the only spot left open was the empty desk connected to Richie’s because no one had wanted to partner up with him. It was fine at first, he learned the boy, Eddie was from the Hills, he wore tight brown khakis everyday with varying sweater vests and formal foot wear. One day though, Richie made one too many stupid jokes and Eddie laid into him. 

He whispered pretty cutting comments to the curly haired boy about how at least he owned more than one pair of shoes and showered every day. Richie chuckled until Eddie continued saying that at least he owned “his own” clothes which confused Richie at first. Eddie noticed and explained that he saw how “that blonde kid you’re always with” would wear a jean jacket on Monday, and on Tuesday Richie would wear the same jacket. Richie flushed at this, not knowing people could realize how often he and Stan shared clothes. He just turned to face the front and Eddie looked satisfied, but the next day he was making the same comments, more aimed at Eddie this time, and when Eddie tried to throw the same insults he had the previous day, Richie sighed and said, 

“At least I have friends.” 

The day prior Richie explained the situation to Stan who chuckled and told Richie that “the pint sized twerp” was either immorally high strung or jealous of the boys’ easygoing relationship, Richie went for the second. 

The comment left Eddie sputtering and running out the door when the bell rang. That was the beginning of the rest of their years at Derry high because Eddie ran off to yell about Richie to Bill Denbrough who was captain of the jv baseball team, and knew Tozier well, he knew about Uris too, and he knew exactly what to do to get back at the boy for upsetting his best friend.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “and I’m from the east side of America, where they desensitize our hysteria”

The feud between Stan&Richie and Bill&Eddie began over Richie and Eddie’s bickering in math. It snowballed when Bill’s protective streak came out.

“Eddie, i-i-it’s going to b-be fi-fine,” Bill had said while rolling his eyes.

“Bill, is it even worth the small percent chance that something goes wrong, I mean, sure, Richie is an ass, but I can put up with him. I’m not so sure we should start something with Drudging kids,” Eddie worried.

“Everyone kn-kn-knows the kid is trouble, all I’m going to do is put a pack of cigarettes in his lock-locker, coach will see t-t-t-today during checks, and he’ll be k-k-kicked off, and then he won’t mess wi-with us,” Bill reassured.

“Alright, go ahead, just don’t get caught."

That day Bill snuck in the locker room early, but he couldn’t remember which locker was Richie’s, it was either 6 or 7, and he had seen Stan crowded over both of them alongside Richie. So, he stashed it in 6, hoping he’d made the correct choice.

"Alright, everyone line up next to their lockers,” Coach had said.Stan and Richie walked in and Bill waited nervously. Stan stood next to 6.

“Sssssssshhhhhhit” Bill thought.

Coach opened the locker took out the pack, and Stan’s face remained ever stoic, but Richie bit his lip and tapped his foot expectantly. Coach just held the pack and continued the checks.

“Uris, follow me,” he had said once he finished.

The two had a long talk, and Stan sat the practice out, and he sat in the locker room, and the rest of the team booked it out of there, but Stan stopped Bill before he could escape.

“Do you take me for an idiot Denbrough?” Stan had bit out. Richie was glaring from behind Stan, leaning against the wall.

“Oh, p-p-please Uris, we both kn-know that Coach would never kick y-y-you. Besides, th-tha-that wasn’t even meant for you, so my bad I guess, now i-if you’ll-’ll excuse me,” but Stan put a hand on his chest.

“If you think for a second that just because I wasn’t punished for this, your silly attempt at revenge will slide, you’re a bigger dumbass than I thought. Watch your fucking back,” Stan started to turn, but then stopped to whisper in Bill’s ear, “Oh, and be grateful this didn’t reach your intended target, because I’ve been known to break things that make him upset."

Bill stood stunned. He knew the boys were close, but it seemed he had underestimated the pair.

Stan was out the door when Richie finally spoke up.

"Thanks for the smokes Billy boy, you made an exquisite choice in brand, my old man should be thrilled when I give him these,” he flashed Bill a toothy grin and then sprinted to catch up with Stan.

Bill groaned, and later when he told Eddie what had happened, the small boy was already planning his revenge. 

From that day, the boys’ rivalry was recognized by almost the entire student body, no one ever egged them on but they kept score.

The day after the beginning, there was a dick drawn with lipstick on Bill’s locker. That was the first time Richie and Beverly Marsh hung out, outside of class.

Richie and Stan grew up with the girl, but she was in and out of school, so the they never became closer than acquaintances, but Richie had always waved in the halls, and the boys were known to defend her if they heard someone shit talking the girl.

Several weeks later, Eddie implored the help of resident farm boy, Mike Hanlon who Bill had become friends with in woodshop. Stan opened his locker to find three baby ducks who had eaten several of his assignments, but Stan was so enthralled with the tiny birds that he couldn’t care. 

Eddie banged his head against Bill’s wall thinking about Stan Uris walking around school with two baby ducks in either of his jacket pockets, and Richie Tozier carrying one in his mess of curls. Bill grumbled about the amount of girls that had talked about how cute the two boys were.

They had been going back and forth for forever, through their sophomore year when Bill, Stan, and Richie were the only sophomores to make varsity baseball, and when Eddie and Beverly Marsh struck up an understanding of sorts through their shared love of fashion.The stakes grew higher with each battle, and it didn’t look like it was stopping anytime soon. Which brings us to present day, Junior year.

– – – — — – – –

Stan despises the first day of school. They always made the students go to homeroom for 3 hours and homeroom sucked. The faculty thought that they should make homeroom randomly assigned instead of just by last or first name, which was the way Stan preferred because it almost guaranteed he’d be with Richie.

Unfortunately, Bill Denbrough and two boys from his baseball team were in Stan’s homeroom. 

It would’ve been fine if the entire class didn’t just stare at the pair waiting for something to happen.

Normally they’d swap insults, but today Stan’s heart just wasn’t in it. 

Richie had climbed into his window the night before, and Stan had to coach him through some breathing exercises because the skinny boy had been dealt several nasty punches to the chest and felt like he was suffocating. Stan had stayed up and made sure Richie kept breathing, so he was exhausted by the time school rolled around.

“Are you sure you’re okay Rich?” Stan had said when it came time for the pair to go to homeroom.

“Yeah Stanny, Stan the man, I’m strong as an ox, I have lungs of steel, don’t worry about me,” Richie said, grimacing when he moved too fast.

“Alright shortstuff, don’t get too excited or you’ll cough up a lung of steel,” Stan held Richie in place. He pushed some of the wild raven hair back out of his face, making Richie smile. They separated and make the hike to their classrooms.

“Cat got your t-tou-tongue Uris?” Bill smirks, pulling the blonde boy out of his trance.

“Fuck off William, I’m not in the mood.”

“Did you hear t-t-that boys, Stan the man isn’t in the mood,” Bill says mocking Richie’s nickname for the boy, something Bill knew would get a reaction out of Stan.

Sure enough, Stan whips his head around. 

“Thought I had already taught you to keep those words out of your mouth D-D-Denbrough."

Stan is referring to the week Bill had called Stan only by the nicknames Richie gave to his friend so Stan retaliated by lining the halls with posters of Eddie’s nicknames for Bill before a game. 

Eddie’s nicknames for Bill were far more embarrassing than Richie’s for Stan (mostly because Richie only called Stan his real nicknames when they were alone) so Bill stopped for a while.

“Hmm,” Bill taps his chin mockingly, “I don’t recall."

Stan narrows his eyes, turns back around and puts his head down in his arms. He hears Bill laughing and wonders how Richie is doing.

"Hey trashmouth.” A voice wakes Richie up from his nap. 

‘Fuck’ he thinks, only other drudging kids call him that, and that never meant anything good.

“Ahh, Sammie my boy what can I do for you,” Richie tries.

“Cut the shit Tozier, you know what we’re here for, have you made up your mind or what.” 

Sam Jenkins was a dick, and he was always trying to get Richie to help him deal to the Hills kids, but Richie was never into it. It made his neighborhood hate him because they felt like he thought he was too good for them, but really, he just didn’t want to go to jail.

“Not this time Sam, Wentworth is expecting my help at the shop,” Richie says, referring to his deadbeat father, hoping it’ll strike some sympathy in Sam.

Luckily, Sam nods, “Yeah, my old man was closing up last night, let me know if you need me to cop you some painkillers,” Sam references the events that lead to Richie sharing Stan’s room.

That’s what Richie appreciates about his home, maybe they were all going no where, and sure sometimes they gave Richie and Stan a hard time, but they’d always have their backs.

“Thanks dude, I bummed some off Stan, he’s in charge of all that shit for his dad or whatever."

The group of boys nodded solemnly. everyone knew about the Uris’ misfortune, but no one really knew the specifics, they just understood.

"Alright, maybe next time,” Sam and his cronies walk away.

“What the fuck Tozier, are you dealing now, I mean I knew you were a thug, but a criminal? Should I send an anonymous email to Coach maybe? I think I might,” Eddie Kaspbrak says.

“Sure sweetcheeks, whatever tickles your pickle,” Richie smirks.

Eddie’s face turns dark red and Richie puts his head back down.

What a great start to a year Richie thinks, and across the school, Stan thinks the exact same thing.

**Author's Note:**

> please leave comments and kudos if you want


End file.
